1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LED (light emitting diode) headlamp aiming apparatus, which is provided in a mounting module and is connected to a headlamp housing to aim the mounting module, which is provided with LEDs and is installed in the headlamp housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, bulbs have been used as headlamps for vehicles to provide light at night. However, recently, a lot of research on techniques for providing light using LEDs, which are semi-permanent and have high illumination performance, in place of using bulbs has been actively conducted.
Headlamps using LEDs have structures such that a mounting module provided with LEDs is installed in a headlamp housing. In detail, the LEDs are mounted to the mounting module, and a horizontal aiming unit, a vertical aiming unit and a pivot unit are provided in the mounting module to adjust the angle at which the mounting module is aimed. The mounting module is aimed with respect to the pivot unit upwards, downwards, leftwards or rightwards.
The pivot unit provides the rotation center for aiming the mounting module. Typically, the pivot unit has a ball type structure, into which a ball is fitted, the ball being disposed in a retainer that is provided in the mounting module. However, in the conventional techniques, when vibrations and impact are transmitted to the headlamp as the conditions in which the vehicle travels are poor, the ball may be undesirably removed from its original position. Furthermore, the weight of the mounting module using LEDs may be greater than that of a mounting module using a typical bulb. Here, in the conventional techniques, because the pivot unit is provided on the rear surface of the mounting module and is connected to the headlamp housing, there is a problem in that the pivot unit may not be able to support the weight of the mounting module.
In other words, in the case where the pivot unit is provided on the rear of the mounting module along with the aiming units, the pivot unit may not be able to support the weight of the mounting module or vibrations or impact transmitted to the vehicle, so that the ball is removed from the retainer, or the retainer may be damaged. In this case, the operation of adjusting the angle at which the headlamp is aimed becomes impossible, and a problem in which the light of the headlamp shakes according to the conditions of a road surface is induced, thus reducing the traveling stability of the vehicle. In addition, there is a disadvantage of reduced durability.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.